naag puja

I shot this in a sleepy village in Maharashtra close to Islampur called Battis Shirala , I shot this on Naag Panchami day , the festival was under a blanket ban, no snakes,
The festival of Naag Panchami that was celebrated here prior to the ban was an event internationalised because of the King Cobras , people came to shoot this event , much money changed hand , and not a single hotel to stay at Battis Shirala , so you stayed at Ichalkranji or Islampur and came here by cab, the locals made a killing , throwing caution to the wind, the Damin or the rat snake that resembles the Cobra but is shy by nature was used as a live prop round the neck Shiva style , and hundreds died of shock, the animal activists were building a case against this festival , collected all these pictures as damaging evidence and got a stay order no more Snake Fair.. and I was here when the ban came into effect, for taking a picture of a snake the fine imposed was Rs 5000/ and confiscation of the camera.

Lord Vishnu's couch is the green, thousand-headed snake (Ananta or Sesha) who could hold up the earth. Lord Shiva wears a snake for ornamental purpose. Even Lord Krishna is called "Kaliya Mardan" to commemorate his victory over the giant snake, Kaliya.

A farmer while tilling his land incidentally killed some young serpents. The serpent took revenge by biting all members of the farmer's family except his daughter, who worshipped snakes.This devotional act of the girl resulted in revival of her family. So on the day of Naag Panchami, tilling of land is forbidden. Snake worship is however believed to have originated due to man's natural fear of reptiles.

Symbolically, the snake god is always seen as an ornament around the neck of Shiv. So the festival also has mythological importance. The legend behind it goes like this: Once upon a time a farmer accidentally killed the young ones of a snake family while tilling his farm, thus inviting the wrath of the mother snake. In a fit of anger and craving for a revenge, she bit the farmers family in the night. Her deadly poison turned their blood blue.

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